How can I find the closest value in an array to a given integer in Bash?

You can achieve this with a straightforward loop. Here's a basic example of how to do it:

```
input="$1"
array=(4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 100)

closest_match=-1
min_diff=99999

for value in "${array[@]}"; do
diff=$(( input - value ))
diff=${diff#-}
if (( diff < min_diff )); then
min_diff=$diff
closest_match=$value
fi
done

echo "The closest value is: $closest_match"
```

This will loop through each value in your array, calculate the difference, and keep track of the closest match!

When deciding on ties, you can customize your function to return either the lower or higher value based on your preference. Just add a simple condition when you find equal distances!

I've been thinking about how to handle potential tie situations. For example, if my number is exactly in the middle, should I choose the lower or upper value in the array? It would be great to clarify that!

Here's another approach you might like. It directly checks conditions to find the nearest value:

```
num="$1"
array=(4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 100)

if (( num = array[-1] )); then
nearest=${array[-1]}
else
for (( i=0; num >= array[i]; i++ )); do :; done
nearest=$(( num - array[i-1] < array[i] - num ? array[i-1] : array[i] ))
fi
echo "$nearest"
```

This checks boundaries first, then efficiently finds the nearest value!